to go beyond a normal idea (“Stop looking at past examples and think outside the box.”)

a low likelihood of something happening (“It’s a long shot, but maybe we can convince our boss to take Fridays off.”)

the rate of gaining experience or new skills (“New employees usually have a learning curve.”)

to work lazily (“Don’t expect a promotion if you’re constantly slacking off.”)

to be familiar with current information (“We have a new team member starting this week. Can everyone help him get up to speed on our accounts?”)

to know immediately from what you have in your memory (“I can’t think of any ideas off the top of my head; I’ll have to do more research.”)

to increase (“The team needs to ramp up productivity in order to meet their deadlines.”)

a rough estimate (“If you don’t know the exact cost, just give a ballpark figure.”)

a discussion about everyday topics (“The employees made small talk about their weekends while waiting outside the board room.”)

A long period of time (“The new business pitch will be hard work, but we’re in it for the long haul.”)

to enter an organization or industry (“A coffee meeting can help you get your foot in the door with prospective clients.”)

it's not complicated or difficult to understand (“Just look up the answer online; it’s not rocket science.”)